Post-Adoption Center Publishes Research Review, Model Program Details
The National Center for Enhanced Post-Adoption Support is continuing to make important progress in its first year of operation under a grant from the Children’s Bureau. The Post-Adoption Center’s resources and services include a comprehensive resource library, universal technical assistance for child welfare personnel, and on-site technical assistance for state agencies.
The two recent publications from the Post-Adoption Center include:
Post-Permanency Services: A Worthwhile Investment:
In August, the Center released a new paper reviewing the research on post-permanency services. It found that such services:
Reduce adoption disruption and dissolution: Research has found that post-adoption services reduce children’s behavior problems and increase placement stability.
Improve child well-being: Families who are able to access post-permanency services such as mental and behavioral healthcare, adoption education, and assistance from caregiver support groups usually fare better than families who cannot access these services.
Improve parent recruitment and retention: The existence of these services can reassure prospective adoptive and guardianship families, thus making recruitment and retention of these parents easier.
Produce budgetary savings: A 2014 study found that the federal government spent an average of $27,236 per year for a child in foster care, more than five times the estimated $5,043 spent per year for a child receiving federally supported adoption assistance. Other studies have found similar budgetary savings.
Model Post-Permanency Program Manual:
In June, the Center released a detailed 300-page manual describing key features of a model post-permanency program for adoption and guardianship families. The model features eight research-based component services designed to work together, including pre-permanency supports, comprehensive assessments, counseling services, 24-hour telephone support, crisis intervention, educational advocacy, support groups, and respite care.
Four states are currently receiving on-site technical assistance from the Center to implement a comprehensive, post-permanency continuum: the Oregon Department of Human Services, California Department of Social Services, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, and Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
The Post-Adoption Center is led by Spaulding for Children in partnership with Child Trends, Harmony Family Center, the National Adoption Association, Raise the Future, and the Center for Adoption Support and Education. To keep up to date on the Center’s work, consider subscribing to its email list.
